The Haunting Darkness
by Linger1536
Summary: This is a story about some human survivors in the north of Sweden. "Drop the gun," she ordered. When he didn't she pressed the knife harder against his throat, causing some blood to trickle down it. "Drop it!"


**I'm pretty sure many won't read this but if you do I'm glad you gave it a shot, so thanks!**

**Originally I had planned to write a Jared/Melanie story since I love them (I love Saoirse Ronan she's the perfect Melanie) but I began thinking during a car ride. How would it have been for the people here if the souls had invaded? I live in the north of Sweden and during the winter it can get as cold as 45 degrees below 0, so I thought why not make a fanfiction about some human survivors here. **

**You will see that some things in this story will be similar to the relationship between Melanie and Jared such as age, how they met etc.**

**I have one question, in Sweden we use the word mössa for winter hat or cap, which one should I use hat or cap or is there another word that is better?**

She hadn't been sure which was best, to leave him behind or take him with her. In the end the fear of him wandering off and being discovered had won out. She glanced down at the sleeping child curled into her side, his blond hair peeked out at the end of his winter-hat. It wasn't too cold out yet, maybe around 0 degrees but she had made sure he had layers of clothes on unlike her. The weather could drop quickly and she didn't want to risk him catching a cold or something worse. She herself only wore a tight pair of skii pants paired with a black down-jacket and a black hat. She wanted to be able to move quick if they were caught and a thick layer of clothing would slow her down.

It turned dark quickly during the winter since the sun never rose which had been to their advantage. They had been laying on the snow covered ground for hours waiting for the parasites to leave. At the age of four Fabian was a very quite child so she needn't worry about him making a sound but she still felt uneasy being inside the city.

Her green eyes flashed with determination as she saw the parasites leave the house. She would wait only ten minutes before she made her move. When she was sure the car had driven away she gently shook the child awake.

"Fabian, it's time." He grumbled unhappy but sat up nevertheless.

She had no trouble to open the lock since she'd had two years of practise. They did not linger around once they got inside instead they moved hurriedly to the kitchen. She didn't bother to turn the lights on instead she strode over to the refrigerator and yanked its door open. Fabain stood ready with the bag, holding it open as she began tossing food into it.

"Take cookies please, Ronja," begged Fabian.

Ronja who had been looking for long lasting food stopped her moments and turned to face him. She couldn't deny him anything as he stared at her with those big baby blue eyes. She tossed some more food into the bag until it was almost full before she walked over to the pantry. She found two packs of oreos which took up the last space in the bag along with the water bottle.

"Let's get out of here," she said while hoisting to bag onto her back.

Fabian took her hand, nodding eagerly. Raids always made him scared but he was even more scared when he was left waiting for her to return from one.

There was a low sound and Fabian turned his eyes to it, what he saw made him freeze.

"Ronja," he whispered, tugging at her hand.

Ronja stopped and turned to see what had caught Fabian's attention. What she saw made her heart slam hard against her ribs. She pushed Fabain behind her, positioning him closer to the door.

"Fabian, run," she said while never taking her eyes off the stranger. She could see that it was a man by his tall and broad body.

The boy sprinted for the door, never questioning her. This caused the man to make a move for Fabian but she was there in his way, blocking him. She swung her backpack at him which caught him off guard, giving her an opportunity to escape. She bolted for the door but before she'd had a chance to get far she was tackled to the ground.

"Where did he go?" the man growled at her, as he straddled her, keeping her pinned to the ground.

Ronja trashed her body in an attempt to get free. _Escape, Escape, I have to escape, _she thought frantically. She tried to reach the knife in her right pocket but she only managed to move her fingers a few inches before his hold tightened.

"I'll ask one more time, where did he go?" When she refused to answer the man pulled out a gun from his jacket to her astonishment. This parasite was nothing like any other she had encountered, from what she knew they did not like to use violence. "If you sent him to tell your little alien friends about me I swear I will shoot you right now."

Ronja blinked up at him confused, why was he behaving like a human? He couldn't possibly be …

"Are you …" she squinted at him trying to see his eyes but it was too dark. "Are you human?"

"What gave me away? The gun?" he laughed darkly.

Ronja became even more desperate in her attempt to get free. If he was human there was a high possibility he would shoot her before she had a chance to prove herself human as well.

"Listen to me," she said calmly, "I am the only thing that little boy has left. If you kill me he won't last a week. They'll take him and put one of those _things_ inside him," she spat the word things out as if it was poison on her tongue.

He chuckled. "Clever. You must be a seeker no one else would lie as easily."

Ronja shook her head furiously. "No! I'm human. Please, just please let me go. I can't leave him alone, his only four!"

The guy swore and covered her mouth with his hand. "Will you shut the fuck up?" he hissed at her.

She realised her mistake and her eyes quickly scanned their surroundings. She was just about to relax when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Ronja?" came a small, scared voice.

Ronja acted quickly. She bit down on the strangers hand, the man gave a yelp of surprise and moved his hand away from her mouth, while easing his body from hers.

"Run, Fabian!" she yelled.

She didn't look to see if he had done as he had been told instead she grabbed the knife in her pocket and held it to his throat. She would have killed him but there was some hope that he actually might be … human.

"Drop the gun," she ordered. When he didn't she pressed the knife harder against his throat, causing some blood to trickle down it. "Drop it!"

The gun fell the ground with a satisfying sound. Ronja made sure the knife was tightly pressed against the man's throat while she searched for the small torch she kept in her pocket with her left hand. She turned it on and directed the light to his eyes. What here gaze met made her gasp in astonishment; a pair of dark grey eyes stared back at her and in them there was no trace of silver.

"Turn your head," she demanded, she had to be certain.

He did as she asked grudgingly. She shone the light all over his neck but couldn't find a scar. With a shaking hand she gently traced his neck to make sure she hadn't missed it.

"You are human!" she exclaimed quietly.

Ronja still held the knife to his throat as she turned the light on herself and shone it into her own eyes. "I'm human as well," she told him as she carefully lowered the knife.

The man reached out for her and she had to fight with herself not to flinch away in defence. He gathered her long auburn hair in his hands and removed it from her neck. His fingers gently traced along the flawless skin, sending shivers down her spine.

He smiled at her. "Well aren't I glad I met you," he said before standing up, offering her his hand, " but we have to get out of here."

* * *

Ronja smiled at the sleeping child in the backseat. It had been a long day for him, once he realised that the man; Aidan was human he had began talking like never before. Ronja couldn't think of any other time she had heard him talk so much.

"He's a good kid."

Ronja turned her gaze to the man sitting beside her. He was handsome despite his ragged appearance. He was tall around 185 cm with strong features and dark blond hair that curled slightly at the nape of his neck. Her gaze flickered over his body, despite his jacket she could see that he had a well defined body. She suddenly felt ashamed of herself, she shouldn't be thinking of how he looked when they had more important things to think of. It was just that she hadn't been around another human except for Fabian in two years.

"He is," she agreed.

"How old is he?"

"Four," said Ronja staring out at the dark road in front of them. "He's my cousin. We're the only ones left of our … family."

Aidan nodded understandingly. "It must have been hard for you to take care of him on your own. I mean it is a big responsibility for someone so young," he explained as he saw Ronja frown.

"I'm eighteen it's not that young," Ronja defended herself. She looked at him curiously. "How old are you anyway?"

He laughed. "Twenty-six, which I guess is ancient if eighteen is old," he joked.

Ronja smiled at his joke, it was nice to let go of some of her worries and be able to joke around. Yet she couldn't live in the oblivious.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"North," he replied.

"How much North?"

They already were pretty far north considering that they had met each other in Luleå. She had planned for her and Fabian to travel South where the winter would be less harsh. She supposed that the north was safer in some ways since it was less inhabited, but where would they stay?

"Do you have a plan of where we are going to stay?" she asked. She hadn't once worried that she was intruding on him, it had been a silent agreement between them that they were staying together.

"I've got a cabin high up in the mountains," he told her. "It will take a few days to get there with a snowmobile but it's worth it since it's isolated and very hard to find."

Ronja's interest perked at the mention of the cabin. "You've got a snowmobile?" she asked. Before the souls came to earth she had loved driving snowmobiles with her family and friends.

"And a sleigh," he said nodding. "We'll need to raid for a bit more food and warmer clothes tough before we leave."

It was cold, too cold for them to continue. The first couple of days the weather had been good, around fifteen to twenty degrees below zero but now during the night it had sunk to thirty forcing them to stop. They'd all taken shelter in the sleigh which where were they kept their things and food. Ronja snuggled deeper into the reindeer pelt Aidan had used as a sleeping mat for them, she couldn't get warm despite it and the layers of clothes she had on as well as sleeping bag the three of them shared.

Ronja sighed and stared out at the clear night sky. The other's had since long fallen asleep but she couldn't not matter how hard she tried, she'd even tried to count the stars but it was in vain. She was worried, she didn't know how many more days like this they would be able to manage. How much further could it be? This wasn't the only thing on her mind though, Aidan was always in her thoughts, haunting her. She knew she was developing feelings for him, she knew it was stupid since there were such more important things but she was only human after all. They'd grown close to each other during the three weeks they'd known each other. During the countless of hours driving the car they had talked; telling each other of their lives, happy moments and devastating moments. To Ronja it seemed like she had known Aidan much longer than three weeks and she supposed it was only natural of her to develop feelings for him. This wasn't was worrying her, no she worried that he didn't see her as anything else than a friend, a companion. With one final sigh Ronja closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

"It's not fancy," Aidan was saying as they walked around the cabin or in Fabian's case running.

Ronja turned and smiled. "I like it."

She didn't care that there were no pipes and they had to get water from a creek, and if you wanted to take a shower you had to use a shower-head which was connected to a water tub that you had to pump to get water out of it. Nor did she care that they had to use an outhouse as the toilet, or that the cabin consisted of three rooms; one bedroom, a bathroom and the kitchen/living room.

"You and Fabian can take the bed," Aidan offered as he threw some wood into the fireplace. "I'll sleep on the couch."

Ronja regarded the couch, it was much too small for Aidan's long frame. He obviously wouldn't be comfortable on it.

"No, Fabian will take the couch and you and I can share the bed." She saw his shoulders tense at her words and her face flushed in embarrassment. "I mean it will be more comfortable for everyone and it's not like we haven't shared a sleeping place," she stammered.

"Right," said Aidan as he turned around to face her.

She avoided his eyes and stared at the clock on the wall instead. "It's late," she said. "I should get Fabian to bed and maybe I could take a shower, if that's okay with you?"

"Ronja, you don't have to ask if you want to use the shower," he told her as he moved closer to her causing her to look at him. "We've got plenty of water," he said, gesturing at the snow outside the window.

She nodded. "Of course. I'll just put Fabian to bed then." She cursed to herself silently, why did it have to be so awkward? A warm hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned and stared into his grey eyes.

"Why don't you go take that shower while I put Fabian to bed?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Thanks," she said before disappearing into the bathroom.

When she got out of the shower the cabin was quite, the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. Ronja hurriedly pulled on a pair of underwear and an oversized t-shirt before heading to the bedroom. She slid underneath the covers and rolled onto her side facing Aidan. He was laying on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow, she couldn't help but to smile at how childlike he looked at that moment. She reached out with her hand and gently traced it over his neck, he sighed but didn't make any indication of waking up.

"I'm glad we found you," she whispered to him before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"_Not a sound," whispered Uncle Anton as he closed the closet door._

_The pounding on the bedroom door increased as Ronja watched him through a spring in the closet throw a chair at the window, chattering it. _

"_Run!" he yelled out into the nothingness. "Keep running!"_

_The bedroom door gave in and several people stormed inside. To anyone they would seem human except for their eyes but these things weren't, they were parasites, sucking the life out of the humans._

"_Come with us," said one. "We mean you no harm."_

_Anton scoffed at this. "Of course you don't," he said while moving to the bedside table. "You only took over my wife's body and came here to kill the rest of us."_

_He seemed to have found what he was looking for as he straightened and stared into their unnatural eyes. _

"_I will not let you do it to me or my children," he told them._

_One of the beings moved closer to him. "I'm afraid it is already too late."_

_The other beings moved aside allowing one person to enter the room. She was a beautiful woman, with long dark brown hair and striking features, once Ronja would have called her for her Aunt. In her arms she held a scared little girl no older than five._

"_No!"_

_The girl scared and not able to understand what was going on had come out of her hiding place at the sight of her mother and her reassuring words._

"_I won't let you take her," Anton said raising his hand in which he held a gun._

"_Daddy?" the little girl cried._

_Ronja understanding what was about to happen quickly shoved a piece of clothing into her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. With one hand she covered Fabian's eyes and with the other his mouth. She closed her eyes as she heard the trigger being pulled. _

_ That night the souls lost one of their own while Ronja lost two family members. _

Ronja awoke with a gasp, sweat was trickling down her forehead as she took in her surroundings. She had to check on Fabian, she had to make sure he was safe. She threw the covers off of herself and was just about to get up when two arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"Where are you going?"

Ronja struggled in Aidan's grip. "I have to check on Fabian."

"He's fine," Aidan reassured as he too sat up with his arms still around her.

"How do you know?"

"It was just a nightmare, Ronja." He let go of her with one arm and began moving his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.

Ronja shook her head as she leaned into him. "No it wasn't."

He didn't have to ask, he understood what she meant. He had them as well. Instead of saying anything he pulled her down with him, enfolding her in his arms.

"I've heard rumours about other humans," he told her in an attempt to take her mind off of things. "We should join them."

She turned around in his embrace and stared into his eyes. "When?"

He smiled at her. "After the winter."

Her eyes were uncertain as they searched his. With careful fingers she reached for his face and slowly traced his cheekbones.

"Ronja," she was treading dangerous water.

Slowly she lifted herself up on her elbow and leaned down, brushing her lips against his. Her movements were careful as she traced his lower lip with her tongue but when a low groan emitted from him, she grew passionate. Her hands raked across his chest while his found their way into her hair, pulling her closer to him as their tongues battled for dominance. When they finally broke apart from each other she smiled at him as she rested her head on his chest.

"I like you a lot," she told him before closing her eyes.

He chuckled as he stroked some of her hair out of her face. "I like you too."

**I'm feeling a bit disappointed by this, it didn't turn out as well as I had hope but oh well. I'm not sure if this will be a one-shot or not, it depended on the response I get. I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes but hopefully they didn't bother you too much. Also if I do continue I might change the rating to m.**

**I thought I'd let you know how I image Aidan but if you'd like to keep your own version of him then stop reading now otherwise feel free to continue=p**

**To me Aidan looks like Hayden Christensen with only a few changes such as eye colour.**

**Anyway thank you so much for reading and I hope you have enjoyed the story. **


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